Aug 10, 2007  |  By: ELIZABETH PERRY  | COMMENTS     

Two openly gay men have been elected to lead the Young Democrats of America for the first time in the group’s history. The elections occurred at the group’s national convention in Dallas July 21.

David Hardt, 31, from Dallas, and running mate Chris Anderson, 27, from Chattanooga, Tenn., were elected president and executive vice president respectively by an overwhelming margin of 93 percent.

“Early on I didn’t realize it was that big of a deal,” Hardt said. “This just shows that party is a true indicator, that people don’t see the GLBT issue as a factor. We can lead the organization without any negative impact.”

Kyle Bailey, a board member of the National Stonewall Democrats and vice chair of the Young Democrats’ GLBT Caucus, said the Young Democrats have had gay leaders before, but they came out publicly after being elected. The election of Hardt and Andersons is significant because they were out long before they hit the campaign trail, he said.

“The Young Democrats have a large number of LGBT people,” he said. “We are 100 percent for equality, including marriage equality. Their election sends a signal to our party that there needs to be more inclusion. We have moved in that direction and this is what the Democratic National Committee will look like in 20 years.”

The Young Democrats has been the official youth arm of the Democratic Party since 1932, but the organization has operated independently since 2002 as a non-federal political organization. Its leaders have control over its budgeting and programming and maintain three voting positions with the DNC, including one on the executive committee. Most members are 36 or younger though some chapters allow members up to age 40.

John Marble, spokesperson for the National Stonewall Democrats, described Hardt and Anderson’s victory as historic. With some 106,000 members under the age of 36 in 1,500 local chapters, the Young Democrats represents one of the largest and most influential Democratic organizations in the nation.

“The Young Democrats of America has been shown to move numbers in precincts that elect Democrats and affect policies,” he said. “With David and Chris in leadership positions it’s a strong bridge we can use to mobilize young people and LGBT people.”

Anderson told the Blade that he and Hardt decided to run together a year ago.

“Both David and I were interested in the presidential spot and had been friends for a long time,” he said. “When you put our goals side by side they were so similar. We felt David would be better suited for president and I would be better in the number two spot.”

In addition to his day job as chief financial officer for a manufacturer in Dallas, Hardt said he would be responsible for fund raising and setting the group’s agenda. He also wants to help chapters grow and encourage young people to vote.

“Right now I want to grow the organization,” he said. “We need to have better organization and communication between the national organization and local chapters. Young people make up the largest voter block and we need to raise money to reach young voters.”

As a gay man living in a conservative state, Hardt became aware of the inequality often faced by gay couples five years ago when his partner, Steven Hartselle, fell ill and was rushed to Baylor University Medical Center, a Baptist hospital in Dallas. The front desk nurse refused to let Hardt go to his partner’s hospital room because he was not a member of the family.

He finally was able to see Hartselle after a gay nurse heard about his predicament and brought him around a back way. Hardt was upset by the incident and decided to complain to U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Dallas) but said he was brushed off.

“I went the next day to the office of his opponent, Pauline Dixon, to write a check for her campaign,” he said. “She grabbed me and said, ‘You’re going to work for me.’ I did canvassing, raising money, all the normal volunteer campaign stuff.”

Dixon lost the election, but Hardt went on to join the Young Democrats’ Dallas County chapter. When he joined in 2004 there were only five members in the group. He became the group’s leader in 2005 and it grew to become one of the largest in the country. He said membership now hovers around 1,000.